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Women and the fight for equality
Women and the fight for equality
Women's struggles in American society to achieve equal rights
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The religious society of friends also known as the Quakers, is a protestant Christian tradition originating in the mid -17th century in England. One of the ways it influenced America’s society and values was that of them believing that they were all capable of experiencing the promise of Christ. This belief influenced the position of equality for women. Also during their stance of peace has led many movements to avoid end wars of American Revolution. Through the peace movements Quakers have made that is not the only thing they have done that have influenced America. During the time slavery was ending Quakers were some of the abolitionist that first took of charge. The Quakers believed that every human being was created in the eyes of god. That meant that slaves where just like everyone else in the colony and they were to be set free and treated equal. Quakers were believed to help slaves’ runaway so that they could reach …show more content…
freedom. Which this introduces you to the Underground Railroad made for slaves. Since they believed in the equality of everyone it was only logic that the next step would be the rights of women.
Just like I mentioned before in paragraph 1 they were all capable of experiencing the promise of Christ. It wasn’t as bad with women then it was with slaves they were powerful in social circles. Many women where refused the right to vote. That’s when the Quakers came in and tried pushing the right for women to vote. They believed that women vote counted as much as men’s vote. Also the Quakers where believed to give equal education for children. They believed that no matter where they stand in the economy or their gender should they be denied the entry to school. Quakers have been a huge peace movement. They’ve tried many way to end wars but also they’ve tried to eliminate the reason for people to start a war. Quakers have played a huge role in the American history. Maybe if the Quakers hadn’t done anything then women wouldn’t have a right to vote, children wouldn’t be treated equal ,and maybe slaves wouldn’t have been
freed. Women’s voices wouldn’t be heard in politics it would probably have taken sometime for someone to actually speak out and make people see that everyone here on this earth is a human being with rights. They believed that divine revelation is immediate and individual. The Quakers of Penn’s colony established an extremely liberal government and religious freedom was granted. There was no tax supported church. Quakers always believed that “there is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” Quakers laid the foundation for many civil rights in today’s America. Overtime the belief of Quakers became the model of the United States. The American declaration of independence was proclaimed in Quaker Pennsylvania, the national bill of rights was modeled after the Quaker drafted constitution. Here are a few ways the Quakers thought equality, informality, and tolerance. Quakers appose on anything that violates the right of a human being They were people who would do anything and everything to ensure the safety of people creating laws that would protect them. People here in America started to pick up on the beliefs of the Quakers, but only few will carry on. Now America after many years have passed they now have laws that consist of women rights, children rich or poor to be treated and equal and attend the same schools, and lastly the abolishing of slavery. Now because of what Quakers have done it has become important and worth fighting for in America.
Before Elizabeth Cady Stanton had any impact and attempts to start speeches like her “the solitude to self” speech or her speeches at Seneca Falls. Most women were treated as a cook and a maid, they stayed home to take care of the children. They were to be bossed around by their husband. It was actually better off if a woman was single or widowed. Also, all women were not allowed to vote. Women had a say in typically nothing that is until Elizabeth finally took a stand.
The Awakening experienced a feminization of religion in theology and church membership. Many middle class women found strength in controlling their own morality and fostering the moral life of American spirituality. Since they were fighting for a world that was better for everyone, also known as an utopia, female reformers realized that fighting for their own rights would permit a more wholesome life for other women in the United States (Document 5). Female reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton realized that women did not have to submit to men but could instead stand up for her own rights (Document 7). In addition, women made up the majority of new church membership, leading to an increase in their role in society. Due to a multitude of factors, most important of which is women taking a greater role in society due to their involvement in religion, the Second Great Awakening drastically influenced the women’s rights
It used to be that the only people who were able to vote in our democracy were white men who owned land. According to the article “The Nineteenth Amendment Grants Women Full Suffrage: August 18,1920” it states, “It was widely assumed that, among married couples, wives would share the views of their husbands and one vote by the husband in effect expressed both spouses’ views” (2). The argument against allowing women to vote was that your husband or father would tell you who to vote for any way so why vote and secondly, women had limited rights on their own. Women were known as second class citizens. A numerous amount of people who were religious opposed the idea of giving women the right to vote. They believed that according to the Bible, women have to listen to what their husbands say. The article also includes that many liquor industries were afraid that if women were granted suffrage they would make alcoholic beverages illegal due to the fact they were big supporters of the
Penn voluntarily converted from Anglicanism to Quakerism at the ripe age of 22. His father being a highly decorated and wealthy English Admiral, Penn left behind when he became a Quaker and was punished with stints in prison multiple times for his beliefs. Having been a member of both the Anglican Church and the Society of Friends, Penn experienced the majority and repressed religious groups of his country. This duality of experience inspired a belief in freedom of conscience and the futility
Fox developed the idea of "Inner Light". This is found within each person, and is a divine inspiration that brings joy and an enlightened conscience. It is God’s spirit found in every human soul. Fox felt that "following the inward light would lead to spiritual development and towards individual perfection." He taught the members to worship in silence and people only spoke when they felt moved by the Holy Spirit when they were in their meetings. George Fox promoted simple living; he was against alcohol, holidays, sports, theater, and jewelry. They thought of themselves as friends of Jesus and later, the Quakers also became known as the Society of Friends.4
According to Ellen Carol Dubois, the campaigns to acquire women suffrage were not easy that they required voters to “be persuaded to welcome new and unpredictable constituencies into the political arena” (420). There was also severe resistance in the North about the immigrant vote and the exclusion of African American and poor whites in the South (420). Immigrants in the North and African American in the South were not fully qualified to vote for the women. Harriot Stanton Bl...
One important aspect of Quaker life to understand before reading An Account of the Travels, Sufferings and Persecutions of Barbara Blaugdone, is the use of traveling ministers to spread the Quaker religion around the world. The Society of Friends, given the popular name “Quakers”, originated in England in the seventeenth century and quickly spread to the English colonies, and later to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Turkey, and America (Sharpless 393). The most influential people in this rapid spread of the Quaker religion were the missionaries. While Quakers believed that “no one should preach the Word without a direct call from God”, they did believe that any one “male or female, old or young (395)” could receive this call. The truth of the matter was, however, that the majority of the traveling ministers in the seventeenth century were women.
The Quakers, also known as the Society of Friends was religious group that founded Pennsylvania. William Penn, one of the leaders, worked with the Quakers, Indians and the other population to make an ideal world for him, his followers, and the other people in his environment. With his efforts, and the help of others, the Quakers left a huge impact on Pennsylvania and the entire nation.
With salutary neglect in the colonies, the Quakers and the Puritans were able to continue with their customs and traditions thus adding a diverse quality to the colonial society in which they lived.
William Penn was a great individual who contributed tremendously to this nation. John Moretta’s “William Penn and the Quaker Legacy” talks about the courageous efforts by Penn and his perspectives on things. Penn was a spiritual human being who believed in god and wanted a peaceful society for one to live in. He was a brave individual who wanted everyone to be equal and was democratic. Religious tolerance alleged by Penn changed the views of many individuals who lived in that era. The importance of Penn’s background, Quakerism and the development of his society due to his view on religious tolerance will be discussed in this paper.
They were more highly thought of. Some people may still have not agreed with this, but they couldn’t do anything about it now. Now that they had the right to vote, women did not rush into anything; they took their time for the right they had.
fought for their rights to vote. In the nineteenth century, only white men were allow to vote, and if any women were
After years upon years of being put down and seen as less by society, women were ready to stand up. The Quaker women started this battle, based upon the Society of Friend’s ideals of equality. Women were considered to be property, owned by their husbands and doing what their husbands wanted. Their daily routines consist of doing chores, cleaning, cooking, and staying out of their husband’s ways. Women were not thought to be anything but housewives and this caused them to feel disrespected. They would be beaten and expected to take it and apologize, even if they did not do anything. This treatment happened daily and eventually women were sick of it. Quaker women thought, if God saw them as equal to men, why couldn’t the rest of the world? They gathered everyone who believed in equality, and started a fight that has lasted to the present day. Being a Quaker helped women realize that their opinions mattered, they were equal to men, and that they were not objects solely for male enjoyment. This connects to the American Revolution and the enlightenment ideals. The enlightenment ideals spread across Europe and then to America and into the houses of all the men in the land. They heard these radical ideals, that all men were created equal, and agreed. The American men were strong believers in Locke and the rest of the enlightenment thinkers, so much so that they took these ideals and
...s that they weren’t just slaves; they were women, sisters, wives, and daughters, just like the white women (DOC C). The women of this time period reached out to expand ideals by showing men that women were going to be involved in political affairs, and they had a right to do so.
William Penn was generally known as the Quaker leader who founded Pennsylvania. Penn’s achievements were far greater than just the founding of a colony. He had commitment, spirit and love for the Quakers and in turn, spent his whole life trying to get others to see the good in Quakerism and create tolerance for his religion.